PAIF Graduates- New Mommies - February

latershrader · February 2018

Let's get this started! How are y'all doing this month? How are your babes? Post a pic if you can decide which one of the million you took yesterday is the cutest one!

latershrader · February 2018

Hey y'all (I'm from Virginia, we say y'all!) We're officially 5 months old today. I cannot believe it! Eli is a little behind on sitting up and rolling over, but I'm not worried. He's a big boy so it may take some extra time to get all that baby fat moving. He does roll over, just not consistently. And he's sitting up, but with help. So we're doing ok I think! The smiles and cooing are all that I need though. They are the best. Day care is getting better and he's still sleep through the night. I'm one happy mama...only thing that could make me happier is if I could be with him 100%. One day maybe.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/26/xrkjtr7hki3k.jpg

Polythene Pam · February 2018

@latershrader what a cutie! oh gosh my daughter didn’t sit well till after 6 months, she’s 4 and it all worked out!

We are good here! Graham is 3 months old, growing like a weed, he’s 14 lbs something oz. nursing finally got “easy,” I’m a lot more confident since he’s gaining enough. Sleep is still ok.. need to get him a better routine but he just has to work around my daughters schedule with school drop offs and swim lessons and looooong bedtime routine where he’s hitting a wall but I can’t quite get bedtimes flipped yet or get his pre-bedtime nap to hold him over. He’s pretty chill but I can tell he’d be even happier with enough sleep. We’ll get there

here’s his latest pic!

janejane-2 · February 2018

My goodness the baby pictures are SO adorable! And yes @latershrader, we mommas take so many pictures! I'm over 2,000. LOL. So its been a while since I posted. I have 9 month old twin boys. They are growing so much and learning so many things. I bought them toothbrushes yesterday b/c teeth are starting to come in (for one of them, I'm sure his brother is right behind). I hear wet cloths are enough but open to any suggestions on how to keep their teeth (tooth) and gums clean.

One major problem we're having is the sleep. They briefly slept through the night months ago but now at 9 months they are awake 3-4 times at night wanting a bottle. They only drink 2 ounces or so and go back to bed but I'm a zombie. Husband wants to do the crying out method but I just can't. I think thats too severe. Then again, I get so little sleep. Its mainly me since DH can sleep through almost anything. He may get up once to help but usually is snoring away. The boys eat 3 purees throughout the day, I try to do one about an hour before sleep usually a low sugar one mixed with oatmeal cereal. However it doesn't seem to do anything. Open to any suggestions to get them to sleep longer. Cry it out? Sigh.

omarismyhomeboy · February 2018

Hey y'all! (Yeah I'm from Texas so y'all is 100% in my vocabulary

)

@latershraderI don't think he's behind at all! Takes most babies way longer to sit up independently! Like at least 6 months. As long as he can sit with props he is totally on schedule.

June is 2 days shy of 5 months, hard to believe it! She can sit up if she uses her hands for support like a tripod sit. She has gotten really really grabby in the past 2 weeks and she can hold her own bottle (when she feels like it). She is the happiest and sweetest girl I can imagine and I pinch myself wondering how I got so lucky.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/l1/cfj1l26j99n0.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/8i/rgabjvng0jxt.jpg

omarismyhomeboy · February 2018

@janejane-2 We did cry it out, and it worked like a charm by night 3. We are all different, and the first night I second guessed myself a LOT, but it honestly wasn't that bad. It's not like you leave them alone the whole time, you check on them every few minutes, do gradual extinction, that kind of thing. June learned to soothe herself with her thumb after that...she wasn't actually hungry, she just wanted to suck on something. She only woke up once a night, so again, it wasn't as tough for us as it is for some people. And its not to say she doesn't sometimes wake up early and fuss, but MOST of the time she sleeps through the night great now.

JWatt5 · February 2018

Hi everyone. Parker is just over 5 Months now - super happy, very chatty, little guy. We’re getting close to starting solids. He’s sitting up better and better and his grasping is great. He finds his own soother and puts it back. He’s sleeping better. He’s in bed at 7 ish until 7ish am. He wakes up around 11 and 3am for food for about 10 mins although the last two nights he’s skipped a feed!! See what happens tonight - I was expecting to go down to one night feed by 6 months so he’d be right on track.
@latershrader - don’t worry. Literally a week ago Parker was still barely rolling. It’s like he just figured it out. He hates tummy time, still, and now he can just roll off his tummy lol. Argh!!
@janejane-2 - I can’t do Cry it out either. I’m just not made for it. When Parker went back to two feeds a night I was pretty bummed but he’s quick enough it’s ok. We have found that with an earlier bedtime (& even earlier if he naps poorly) he’s been sleeping better and better. Not sure when your babies hit the hay but that’s what we’ve found. I’m enjoying the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby so far. It’s liberal and gives options. If you want to cry it out or co sleep, it’s suggests what it thinks is best but also acknowledges the other options.

Polythene Pam · February 2018

@janejane-2 we also read healthy sleep habits, great book about schedule and early bedtimes. My daughter was a naturally great sleeper until the toddler bed, then all hell broke loose and we had to sleep train. So I can vouch that crying it out led to a happy, well rested toddler who still loves me at age 4

with graham, he sleeps in my arms but fought ANY other sleeping place. I’d love to hold him forever but his naps were terrible as I’d need to help my daughter and he’d wake. So right at 12 weeks I put him in his crib for naps. He’d shriek cry so I’d go in, put my hand on his chest, shush and leave. Give a minute, give 3 min, give 5 min between me patting his chest. Took 3 Days but he naps in his crib with no tears and I can just put him in and walk away. So there’s modified CIO methods, whatever you’re comfortable with. My daughter was too big and literally cling to me for life if I went in when we trained her, so it was straight her crying. Graham we can be gentle as he’s so little. It helped both and both are still happy loving kids. We’ll have a lot more work with graham with our nights when he’s bigger (still legit starving at 3 months) but I’ll do a gentle sleep training if needed.

persnickity · February 2018

@janejane-2 I'll second the early bedtime! It's not fun, because we basically don't see her during the week, but Mackenzie starts her bedtime routine at 5:15-5:30pm and is usually sounds asleep by 6pm. She's so much happier during the day when she's well rested! There are some nights where the bedtime routine starts a little later and she has a major crying meltdown, which makes it harder to get her to nurse and go to sleep. It's hard, because she also has very subtle sleep cues. She gets quiet and maybe runs her hand over her head. That's it. We have to watch her very carefully to catch it on the weekends for naps.

AFM, Mackenzie is about 5.5 months. She's sleeping through the night and getting ready to start solids soon. She's got her first tooth that just broke through and is working on a second. She's sitting up pretty well (not 100% unsupported) and apparently can roll from back to front, but we've never seen it. She wakes herself up at night when she does it. All we've seen is her on her tummy when we roll her back over. Haha. Overall, she's a super happy easy going kid.

tiffanyw1783 · February 2018

I’ve been absent for a while. Audrey and Olivia are 1 week shy of 6 months. Olivia can sit unassisted for a while, Audrey has to have a little support. Neither roll over consistently, either from belly to back or back to belly. They love baby food now. My only problem is getting them in a routine and getting them to sleep later. They go to bed at about 830-9 and Audrey gets up at 330, Olivia gets up sometime between 4 and 5 am!! Any advise on how to get them to sleep later. I’ve read The Baby whisperer and a couple other books but most of the tips and tricks aren’t feasible with two babies!! Please help!

Polythene Pam · February 2018

@tiffanyw1783 sounds backwards but try an earlier bedtime? The only sleep book I read (healthy sleep habits happy child) was all about how a more rested baby sleeps better. So good naps and an early bedtime helped with my daughter- like a 6pm bedtime for a long time. My LO is 3 months and is hitting a wall by 5:30, we’re going to start trying to get him to bed by 6 to see if that helps his many night wakings, worth a shot!

tiffanyw1783 · February 2018

We are going to try less naps in the afternoon and earlier bedtime tonight and see how that goes. I’m trying to follow the Baby Whisperer for a routine but my twins are so different it’s hard to get them on the exact same routine. Especially when one wakes up at 330 and the other an hour later in the mornings. And the pick up/put down method or cry it out won’t work too well b/c neither will ever go to sleep, they’ll just wake each other up.

kelrauh · February 2018

@janejane-2 about 8 months I gave up and did the cry it out method and it worked amazing by night three. But night one I cried and was so anxious but we now say it was soo worth it. We now sleep at least 8 hours a night. With twins we had to because we werenf getting sleep.

Polythene Pam · February 2018

Random but we just realized last super bowl Sunday, I was giving myself the trigger shots and was so anxious for my egg retrieval. Now little man is passed out on me. What a year... ❤️

JWatt5 · February 2018

@Polythene Pam - we were announcing to friends we were 14 weeks pregnant. It’s also the anniversary weekend of when we moved on to our house 3 years ago.

PoeMasque · February 2018

Hello ladies! All the sleep posts, how stressful! At least we know we aren’t alone

Henry is 2 mos old tomorrow and we are finally settling into a “routine”, or rather, we are better at knowing what he needs. He has started to recognize our voices, discovered his hands, reaches out for toys (he actually grabbed one today!), and laughs when his dad makes silly noises.

As for sleep, he has a pretty good routine: asleep around 6 with feeds at 9,12,3, and sometimes 5am with him waking up for the day between 5 and 7am. The one issue we are having is he often wakes himself, and us, up with wiggling and grunting about an hour after each feed (swaddling doesn’t seem to make a difference either way). I’m thinking it’s reflux because it’s better if I am holding him at an angle or upright. I ordered a sleep wedge off amazon which arrives tomorrow, im hoping that does the trick. Anyone have experience with grunting/reflux? He has zero problem sleeping in his crib or bassinet, in fact he will lay there quietly and put himself to sleep, he just wakes up an hour later seemingly due to being uncomfortable?

Polythene Pam · February 2018

@PoeMasque both of my kids start out sleeping full time in the rock n play, it helped my daughter who had terrible reflux, we moved her successfully to a flat crib at 3ish months. Graham just wakes all the time regardless but worth a shot? I know you aren’t supposed to use anything but a flat surface for sleep but she was a terrific sleeper in that thing, and I felt better with all her spitting up at night.

byrneme · February 2018

LOVE all the pictures and updates

@latershrader, I wouldn't worry - it sounds like you are right on track. I've found that a lot of the emails I get from baby sites are WAY ahead of when developmental milestones actually are. Like if it's supposed to be between 3-6 months they are ALWAYS on the early end.

As for us, Zoey is now SIX months - I do not know where the time has gone. She is doing more and more as each day passes -

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020794/uploads/editor/re/pbfch8yn5ci8.jpg

I'm loving this age! We are incredibly blessed with a super happy and easy baby. I like to think this is our repayment for all we had to go through to get her. She sleeps through the night but we struggle with a good routine. She is a horrible napper at daycare and most of the time falls asleep on the way home. I hate to wake her which leads to weird feeding times. I think I'm going to have to start waking her or we will never get some solids in!

persnickity · February 2018

@byrneme I was hoping you'd chime in on solids! With Zoey and Mackenzie being so similar with not napping and early bedtimes, i was hoping I could follow your lead. I think we're going to have to just do solids on the weekends to start and then at daycare. Bedtime routine basically starts when we walk in the door from picking her up, so we can't really do it at night.

byrneme · February 2018

LOL - @persnickity, yes - that is our plan unless she randomly decides to be awake. I want her to get the first of anything at home on weekends, just in case, and then let daycare give it during the day. I can't think of any other way to be honest.

stella_700 · February 2018

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First time posting since the babies were born. Time has passed like a blur. : ) Struggling with sleeping right now Dad and I need to get them into a better routine. They are three months old today. For now we are dealing with the crud, all four of us. Chase continues to be my happy little baby. Victoria is miserable poor sweetie. I'm sorry that the images are so huge, the bump won't let me resize them.

janejane-2 · February 2018

Thanks ladies for all the input! Its been 9 incredible months with the twins but the lack of sleep is really getting to me.

kelrauh when you did the CIO method did you put them to bed and not go back to them until the following morning? I know there are different ways to approach crying it out. Boys are usually asleep by 8pm so I'm thinking I"ll go to them until midnight and after that let the CIO. I did CIO once, by necessity, I was driving home alone with them at night, it was an hour drive, and they basically cried for 45 minutes until they fell asleep. It broke my heart to see the tears and hear them cry. Sigh.

PoeMasque one of my boys had reflux and unfortunately the wedge didn't do much

we got medication b/c it was bad (spitting up and pain). However, it resolved by 6 months I think.

kelrauh · February 2018

@janejane-2 - I went in the first night at 3 minutes then 5 minutes then every 10 minutes then the next night I did 5 minutes then 10 minutes. I would go in rub their back for a minute and tell them I'm there and then walk out. After the initially fell asleep I would wait a few minutes to go in to see if they would self soothe. It was hard but boy it paid off. We get some nights of 12 hours straight now.

JWatt5 · February 2018

So many awesome updates this month!! These babies are all so cute!!
Parker some how dropped a night feed. That book said around 6 months they likely would and he’s coming right up on 6 Months

Anyone else doing 6 month eye exams? DH and I just had our exams completed and booked one for Parker (since our benefits cover it). They said at this point his eye sight should be as good as an adults so 6 Months is when the first visit should be.

We tried to start solids tonight but...little guy was so grumpy today. He wasn’t himself at all (possibly thanks to Leap 5 storm cloud!). The days he’s not happy are so hard - because he’s generally always happy!!

PoeMasque · February 2018

@Polythene Pam i tried the rock and play and he fell asleep in it really well....I just couldn’t sleep with him in it (as a baby/mama nurse it’s been drilled into me that they are not safe for sleeping - and studies do back that up), so it was back to co-sleeping as safely as possible. We did, however, get the wedge and he slept SO soundly on it last night. He still woke up every hour from 3-6, but I think that was due to a stuffy nose because he did zero grunting and wiggling. Hopefully it really was the wedge and not just a fluke!

stella_700 · February 2018

@JWatt5 Those eyes! What a sweetie.

@PoeMasque Our little boy loves his rock and play so he takes his naps in it. Our babies aren't rolling over yet from their back to their tummies. Little girl hates the rock and play, she sleeps in the "touchdown position" with both arms up above her head and she can't get in that position with the rock and plays. She's sleeping in the pack n play bassinet. I have put two pillows UNDER the pack n play mattress to elevate her. It still fits tightly in the pack n play so feel okay with that.

I've got two sick babies as all four of us have the crud. So I'm snot sucking them with the nose frida 4 times a day, running the humidifier 24/7, keeping them as elevated as much as possible. Is there something more I can be doing to make sure that they are as comfortable as they can be? They are just now three months old. At what point do I take them to the doctor, that snot is green and thick (TMI), I called the nurse line and she firmly vetoed anything over the counter at this point. She said so long as they aren't running a fever above 100.4 or struggling to breath/wheezing with each exhalation to keep them at home rather than expose them to something worse at the clinic.

I think its pretty obvious that I'm a first time mom. The poor nurse line...

persnickity · February 2018

@stella_700 That's what the nurse's line is for! I would have called too. Unfortunately, there's not much to be done outside of sucking snot, running the humidifier, and putting saline in their noses. You're doing a great job!

PoeMasque · February 2018

@stella_700 it sounds like you are doing a lot! I know it doesn’t feel like it, but what you are doing is definitely helping. Have you tried saline drops? Those seem to work better than the humidifier for us and he doesn’t scream when I put them in his nose like he does for the nose frida (which I feel is pretty ineffective because he sucks in when I use it and I end up playing tug of war with the snot in there....he usually wins!). I agree with the nurse line, keep them away from hospitals and doctors offices right now, if they dont have fevers they should be fine. I’ve seen kiddos with green snot just from teething, so it’s not always a sign of infection.

Lastly, hang in there, you are doing great!! I’m a FTM too and it’s such a learning curve! I am constantly calling my coworkers for advice, even though I am that person for the patients I work with. Parenting is definitely humbling.

latershrader · February 2018

Such great updates! Seems like everyone has the crud. Eli is on his second round of it. I am glad to hear that other babies HATE the nose frieda. When E was sick the first time, I took him to urgent care and then to his pediatrician 2 more times. Turns out he had pneumonia. Mama instincts, trust them.

One thing that I keep going over and over in my head is just how much these little guys are changing! I look back to just 5 months ago when he was born and how different he is now. He's a little person with a big personality. It's just amazing to me. I think going through IF makes us appreciate the little humans we made so much more...I'm bound and determined to never take my child for granted. He is a little miracle. They all are.

persnickity · February 2018

Mackenzie doesn't hate the nose freida. She absolutely hated the bulb syringe that we started with. It never got anything out and she would cry every time. That all stopped with the nose frieda. She at least tolerates it.

byrneme · February 2018

Zoey HATES the nose frieda - it is a two person job for sure. My DH is out of town this week and I can't wait for him to get back so we can tackle her with it. Agree though - no fever, no visit. Even though it's hard to hear her all congested and snotty

But call, call, call - I do not care if I'm bothering them, I am a FTM who just needs some reassurance that the green snot is okay (good to know about the teething part @PoeMasque , I feel like we are super close to some starting to pop through).

Polythene Pam · February 2018

@PoeMasque glad you found a good solution! I was so nervous with my daughter spitting that we did the RNP, but I was happy when we got her into her crib, I stared at her a lot in that thing otherwise.

We’re back to the drawing board here, graham had a minor foot surgery last week and I was warned he’d comfort nurse for a couple nights. I think it became a “thing” as the past two nights he’s been up hourly unless he sleeps on top of me and nurses as he pleases. I love the cuddles but I can tell he’s also not sleeping great, we wake him a lot. He’s been napping great in his crib so I hate to move him already but I think we’ll try the crib this weekend. Just to see if he smells me or senses me and is waking, or maybe I respond too quickly. Only problem, my 4 year old is terrified of shadows and sleeps with her door wide open, noise maker just barely on (she’s particular to say the least ha). Fingers crossed graham doesn’t wake her all night now too.. wish us luck

(also that we actually pull the trigger, but we both see he needs to get deep sleep so I think it’s needed)

latershrader · February 2018

Help! We are about to embark on our first flight with the baby. We're headed to Austin, hoping for some warm weather! I'll be traveling solo with Eli. I want to bring his Chicco Bravo travel system stroller, but keep him in my lap on the flight. Can I check the carrier part? Do I need one of those special bags for the car seat? Are there special bags for the carrier vs a true carseat? The stroller is ok to gate check w/out extra fees, no? Hoping you experienced travel-mama's can help a girl out!

omarismyhomeboy · February 2018

@latershrader I'm in Austin

Hope my city gives you good weather! June and I havent traveled yet...

persnickity · February 2018

@latershrader Our first flight is in April, I'll be taking notes based on your experience and what the others suggest!

JWatt5 · February 2018

@latershrader - I have to look in to all of this as well. We’re headed to the Mayan Riviera/Mexico in April for a week. So much to have to consider with a little one. I’m planning my stroller and gate checking that and wearing him as well.

Polythene Pam · February 2018

We’ve flown lots with my daughter but somehow never brought a stroller. I THINK you just wheel it up to the gate and they’ll check it for free. We had a special bag for car seat but also bought a cheaper car seat just for travel so it wouldn’t get damaged, that went with luggage, my husband threw the base into a suitcase. I carried my daughter, just through check points you want nothing but your kid (don’t have them in the carrier). Everyone’s been great when we travel, it’s easier when they’re babies!

omarismyhomeboy · February 2018

Can we talk about car seats for a minute?

I was in an accident on Sunday afternoon. A guy t-boned my car (he was old, I think may have been a little out of it / bad reaction time). Baby June was in the car, and THANK GOODNESS is totally fine, she honestly didnt even notice it. He did not hit me hard, but there was some damage.

Prior to this, I had been wanting to move her car seat to one of the sides. She's currently in the middle and I am having a harder and harder time lifting her into that seat. And since it doesn't have the LATCH system, sometimes I have to readjust the seatbelt tightness. BUT after getting hit, I realized how glad I am she is in the middle seat, away from impact on the sides.

Where do y'all have your carseat bases?

Polythene Pam · February 2018

@omarismyhomeboy I’m so glad you guys are ok!! Check your car seat company’s website, even in a minor accident they may replace it for you. So glad you’re both ok ❤️

I have a Toyota Highlander so bucket seat middle row, so each kid is on side seats with no middle seat. I’d thought of that though when it was just my daughter, she’s always been on a side (passenger side) so I could hand her stuff but I wish there was a safe middle spot to put them. So glad you guys are ok and that June was in the middle!

persnickity · February 2018

@omarismyhomeboy Oh no! So glad you guys are okay!!! We have the base behind the driver side in both vehicles. We have the latch system and i think that required it to be on one side or the other.

JWatt5 · February 2018

@omarismyhomeboy - so glad you gals are ok!! We have ours in the centre - our CRV will let you put the seat in any spot. When we hopefully have two seats it’ll have to be behind the passenger and centre or driver side. I can’t do the driver side and centre. Which is a bummer because statiscally it goes centre, driver then passenger side.
He’s getting so heavy to put in - I’m guessing he’s 18-19lbs now. We may move him to the convertible seat this spring (I’m trying to wait for the Nuna Rava to come to Canada)

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PAIF Graduates- New Mommies - February

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